The Children of China

The Children of China is a beautifully unique book; I don't suppose it could be considered a traditional picture book since there isn't a central story per se. Rather it's an account of an artist's journey through remote regions of China, painting gloriously along the way. So each page features a beautiful piece of art and the opposite page is sort of a narrative about both what's going on in the picture as well as memories of his personal experience growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. This would make an excellent, excellent supplement to any kind of unit study on China as it features many of the lesser known ethnic groups in China. This is also the type of book that makes for perfect "strewing"... and that's what I did in my own family. Like so many other books left alone to be 'discovered' this one found the rapt attention of a nine year old...

Some pieces of the book to delight you; Zhang's art is stunning. Click to enlarge the images: